Present impact reducing devices may comprise arrangements such as impact reducing hoods for avoiding direct hood-to-engine contact or an inflatable external airbag system of a motor vehicle for protection of people outside of the motor vehicle in the event of a collision between the motor vehicle and a pedestrian, a bicycle, or a motorcycle. As a motor vehicle collides with a pedestrian, a bicycle, or a motorcycle, the pedestrian, a rider of the bicycle, or a rider of the motorcycle, may be hit at his or her lower body with a front body of the motor vehicle so as to land on a hood covering the top of the vehicle front body. Following this primary collision, the pedestrian may suffer a secondary collision with the windshield and/or the pillars on either side of the windshield of the motor vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,782 discloses an impact reducing device, which is mounted to a motor vehicle. The impact reducing device is intended for reducing impact to a pedestrian involved in a collision with a motor vehicle. According to one aspect of the patent, there is provided a device for reducing impact to a pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle having a hood extending in a generally horizontal plane and covering a compartment in front of a windshield of the vehicle. The patent describes a mechanism for the displacement of the hood from a rest position to a impact position raised relative to the rest position, combined with an air bag module including an air bag, said air bag module being operative in cooperation with said displacement mechanism to inflate the air bag, causing the air bag to have a first cushion portion extending beneath the rear of the hood across at most the entire width of the hood and a second cushion portion extending out from the rear of the hood.
A problem with this solution is that it requires separate actuators for each individual component, including two actuators for displacing the hood and one actuator for the airbag. Each such actuator adds to the complexity of the system and the assembly of the vehicle. Every extra component will also take up space in an already densely packed environment. In addition, both the weight and the cost of the vehicle will increase.
Hence there exists a need for a solution that requires fewer components and takes up less space, while performing the same number of functions.